ESCAPADE CATEGORY: Crazy Weapons
Not unlike the call in recent years for novel ideas from the public for the War on Terror, President Roosevelt fielded all manner of craziness to help the war effort after Pearl Harbor. Among the "non-traditional" ideas was the Bat Bomb.
"Hey lets get a crap load of furry flying creatures and strap incendiary devices to them and burn down some Japanese cities." The crazy thing is that it worked. If it hadn't been for that other WWII war stopper, the A-bomb, American Kamikaze bats would have been burning down the house in the land of the rising sun.
Among my favorite parts of the research program is the incident in Carlsbad, New Mexico where some of the Napalm-armed bats escaped and promptly burned down the Army camp. Mastiff bats (wingspan 20 inches) were found to be able to carry a 1 pound stick of dynamite, but were not numerous enough for operational use.
I'm sure today if this was tried someone would be dragged before the Hague on charges of chiroptericide and war crimes.
Article on project X-Ray -Air Force Association Article
Very entertaining
History Channel program on Bat Bomb
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